Electric vehicle startup Slate Auto has confirmed that it will offer cargo kits for its Blank Slate pickup, including a high-roof, van-style configuration, and that the kits will be available to any buyer rather than restricted to fleet accounts. Fleet Business Development Lead Christian Kreipke said the cargo kit line starts at roughly US$3,000 on top of the US$24,950 base truck, putting an all-in entry price around US$28,000—roughly half the going average for a comparable vehicle.

A cursory glance at the competition reveals how substantially the cargo configuration would undercut current electric cargo vans in the US. Ford’s E-Transit starts around US$53,260, the Mercedes-Benz eSprinter at around US$61,180, and Rivian’s Commercial Van—sold primarily to Amazon—at US$79,900. All three remain restricted to business or fleet accounts requiring separate enrollment.

Slate’s decision to open the kits to individual buyers marks a noteworthy departure from how the electric cargo van category has developed so far. Rivian’s own Electric Delivery Van launched in 2019 under a four-year exclusivity deal with Amazon, and only opened to large fleets once that contract ended in late 2023. It did not extend to any-size fleets until February 2025, and has still never been sold to an individual buyer at all.

The kits themselves come in two configurations built on Slate’s existing bolt-on composite panel system. A standard version extends the same Squareback enclosure used on Slate’s SUV conversion rearward over the bed, while the high-roof variant replaces the cab roof entirely with a taller spoiler cap for a continuous van-like roofline. Because the panels are discrete bolt-on components rather than welded steel, Slate can offer both without modifying the vehicle’s structural safety cell.

Kreipke also said future generations of the Blank Slate will keep the same basic design dimensions, a commitment made before the company has delivered a single vehicle. He cited dimensional inconsistency across Ford’s own commercial lineup as a documented frustration for aftermarket suppliers, and the promise is aimed specifically at convincing upfitters that tooling built for refrigeration units, shelving or vending configurations will not need redesigning with each model year.

Not all is rosy with the cargo kit: range remains the clearest trade-off against that low price. The standard battery is rated at 205 miles, though that figure will shrink under commercial load from cargo weight or accessories like a refrigeration compressor; Rivian’s own delivery van operates successfully in Amazon’s fleet on just a 160-mile rating, and most urban delivery routes run only 50 to 80 miles a shift, well within range even after real-world losses. The Blank Slate also remains a compact pickup with a five-foot bed rather than a full-size van, and its rear-wheel-drive-only layout may limit appeal in snowier climates.

Historically, small businesses and solo tradespeople have proven more reluctant than most to embrace electric vehicles, due largely to the high sticker prices that remain persistently associated with the segment. However, skipping the exclusive-partner and fleet-only phases that shaped Rivian’s own commercial van rollout suggests Slate sees this customer base as central to its volume strategy from the outset—not a market to expand into only once larger fleet contracts are secured.